Electronic Journal of Differential Equations, Vol. 2016 (2016), No. 293, pp. 1–20.

ISSN: 1072-6691. URL: http://ejde.math.txstate.edu or http://ejde.math.unt.edu

IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM FOR A

TIME FRACTIONAL FOURTH-ORDER PARABOLIC EQUATION

SARA AZIZ, SALMAN A. MALIK

Abstract. In this article, we considered two inverse source problems for

fourth-order parabolic differential equation with fractional derivative in time.
Determination of a space dependent source term from the data given at some
time t = T is considered in one problem while other addresses the recovery of a
time dependent source term from the integral type over-determination condi-
tion. Existence and uniqueness of the solution of both inverse source problems
are proved. The stability results for the inverse problems are presented.

1. Introduction
We are concerned with the fourth-order parabolic equation
D0α,γ
+
u(x, t) + uxxxx (x, t) = F (x, t), (x, t) ∈ Ω := [0, 1] × (0, T ], (1.1)
with initial condition
I01−γ
+
u(x, t)|t=0 = ϕ(x), x ∈ [0, 1], (1.2)
and nonlocal boundary conditions
ux (0, t) = ux (1, t), u(0, t) = 0, (1.3)
uxxx (0, t) = uxxx (1, t), uxx (1, t) = 0, t ∈ (0, T ], (1.4)
where D0α,γ
+
(·) stands for the generalized left sided fractional derivative of order
α and type γ in the time variable (also known as Hilfer fractional derivative),
introduced by Hilfer [12] and is given by
(γ−α) d
h  i
(1−γ)
D0α,γ w(t) := I0+ I0+ w(t), 0 < α ≤ γ < 1. (1.5)
+
dt
The left sided fractional integral is defined by
Z t
1
I0β+ w(t) = (t − τ )β−1 w(τ )dτ, t > 0, β > 0, (1.6)
Γ(β) 0
where w ∈ L1loc [0, T ], 0 < t < T ≤ ∞, is a locally integrable real-valued function and
Γ(·) is the Euler gamma function. The fractional derivative in (1.1) interpolates the
Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative and Caputo fractional derivative for γ = α
and γ = 1, respectively. The Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative may has

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 80A23, 65N21, 26A33, 45J05, 34K37, 42A16.
Key words and phrases. Inverse problem; fractional derivative; integral equation; Riesz basis;
bi-orthogonal system of functions; Fourier series.
2016
c Texas State University.
Submitted June 8, 2016. Published November 11, 2016.
1
2 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

singularity at t = 0 and usually has initial conditions in terms of fractional integral

whereas Caputo fractional derivative are used more frequently in the literature
because with Caputo derivative the initial conditions are more natural [24]. Both
Riemann-Liouville and Caputo fractional derivatives can be used in the modelling
of anomalous diffusion and the fractional derivative D0α,γ +
(·) has the properties of
both of these fractional derivatives.
The nonlocal boundary conditions such as in (1.3)-(1.4) arise when we cannot
measure data directly at the boundary. Such type of boundary conditions usually
known as Samarskii-Ionkin boundary conditions which arise from particle diffu-
sion in turbulent plasma and in heat propagation where the law of variation of
total quantity of the heat is given [13]. For applications of more general nonlocal
boundary conditions see [7, 36, 35].
The direct problem for (1.1)-(1.4) is the unique determination of u(x, t) in Ω̄ such
that u(·, t) ∈ C 4 [0, 1], D0α,γ
+
u(x, ·) ∈ C(0, T ], when the initial condition ϕ(x) and
the source term F (x, t) are given and continuous. The direct problem with γ = 1
of homogenous equation (1.1), i.e., F (x, t) = 0 with initial condition u(x, 0) =
au(x, 1) + φ(x) and boundary conditions (1.3)-(1.4) was considered by Berdyshev
et al. in [3]. They proved existence and uniqueness of the regular solution of the
direct problem. The main concern of this paper are the following inverse problems
related to (1.1)-(1.4).
Inverse source problem I (ISP-I): For the first problem, we suppose the source
term F (x, t) depends only on the space variable, i.e., F (x, t) = f (x). The inverse
problem is to determine the source term f (x) and u(x, t) such that u(x, t) satisfies
the equation (1.1)-(1.4) from u(x, T ) = ψ(x). Indeed, we are looking for the map

ψ(x) → {f (x), u(x, t)}, t < T.

By a regular solution of the ISP-I we mean a pair of functions {u(x, t), f (x)} such
that u(·, t) ∈ C 4 [0, 1], D0α,γ
+
u(x, ·) ∈ C(0, T ] and f (x) ∈ C[0, 1].
Inverse source problem II (ISP-II): For the second problem, we consider the
source term as F (x, t) = a(t)f (x, t). We are interested in recovering the time
dependent source term a(t) and u(x, t). The inverse source problems of determi-
nation of a time dependent source term was considered by many, for example see
[37, 28, 41]. Physically, such type of source; that is, a(t)f (x, t) arise in microwave
heating process, in which the external energy is supplied to a target at a controlled
level, represented by a(t) and f (x, t) is the local conversion rate of the microwave
energy.
For problem (1.1)-(1.4) the ISP-II is not uniquely solvable an over-determination
condition of integral type given by
Z 1
xu(x, t)dx = g(t), t ∈ [0, T ], (1.7)
0

is considered, where g(t) ∈ AC[0, T ], the space of absolutely continuous functions.

The integral type condition arise naturally as over-determination condition for re-
covering the time dependent source term, in chemical engineering [6], fluid flow in
porous medium [8] and in some other applications see for example [32, 17]. A regular
solution for the ISP-II is a pair of functions {u(x, t), a(t)} such that u(·, t) ∈ C 4 [0, 1],
D0α,γ
+
u(x, ·) ∈ C(0, T ] and a(t) ∈ C[0, T ].
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 3

The spectral problem for (1.1)-(1.4) is not self-adjoint and a bi-orthogonal system
of functions is constructed from eigenfunctions of spectral and its adjoint problem.
We proved that both inverse problems are well posed in the sense of Hadamard (see
Section 3 and 4).
It is well known that the inverse problems for the parabolic equations are ill-
posed apart from this the inverse problems considered here are not easy to handle
due to the nonlocal boundary conditions (1.3)-(1.4) and the presence of generalized
fractional derivative in time. The fourth order parabolic differential equations have
been considered in applications to combustion theory [2], image smoothing and
denoising [25, 10], incompressible elasticity problem, phase transition and surface
tension problem [5], thin film theory, lubrication theory [1].
The calculus of arbitrary order integrals and derivative usually known as frac-
tional calculus could be considered as old as integer order calculus. For the history
of the subject the interested readers are referred to [26]. Fractional calculus got con-
siderable attention in mathematics and other fields of science, because fractional
integrals and derivatives were used in the modeling of many physical, chemical,
biological process (see the monographs [27, 38]).
Let us dwell with some of the articles which considered the inverse problems re-
lated to time fractional parabolic equations. A stable algorithm using mollification
techniques has been proposed by Murio [30] for the inverse problem of boundary
function for time fractional diffusion equation from a given noisy temperature dis-
tribution.
Kirane et al [19] considered two dimensional inverse source problem for time frac-
tional diffusion equation and prove the well posedness of the inverse source problem.
Jin and Rundell [16] consider the problem of recovering a spatially varying potential
for a one dimensional time fractional diffusion equation from the flux measurements
at a particular time. Li et al [21] propose algorithms for simultaneous inversion of
order of fractional derivative and a space dependent diffusion coefficient for a one
dimensional time fractional diffusion equation. Li and Yamamoto [20] considered
the recovery of orders of fractional derivatives for a multi term time fractional diffu-
sion equation. The determination of orders of space and time fractional derivatives
for space-time fractional diffusion equation was considered by Tatar et al [39]. Fu-
rati et al [9] proved existence and uniqueness results for the solution of the inverse
source problem posed for the heat equation involving generalized fractional deriva-
tive given by (1.5). Direct and inverse problems for fourth order parabolic equation
with fractional derivative in time was considered in [4]. For time fractional diffusion
equation, determination of a time dependent source was considered in [15]. Liu et
al [22] considered reconstruction of time dependent boundary sources for time frac-
tional diffusion equation. The inverse problems of recovering the space dependent
sources for time fractional diffusion equations were considered in [23], [40].
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: in Section 2, we recall some basic
definitions needed in the sequel and provide the statements of our main results.
Section 3, presents our results concerning the existence, uniqueness and continuous
dependence of the solution of ISP-I. In Section 4 we give the solution of ISP-II. In
the last section we provide some examples.
4 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

2. Preliminaries and statements of the main results

In this section, we provide some basic definitions, notations from fractional cal-
culus (for more details see [34]) and statements of our main results.
The left sided Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative of order 0 < α < 1 is
defined by
d t f (τ )
Z
α d 1−α 1
D0+ f (t) := I0+ f (t) = dτ. (2.1)
dt Γ(1 − α) dt 0 (t − τ )α
The Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative of a constant is not equal to zero.
For f ∈ AC[0, T ] the left-hand sided Caputo fractional derivative of order 0 <
α < 1 is defined by
Z t
d 1 f 0 (τ )
D0+ f (t) := I01−α
C α
f (t) = dτ. (2.2)
+
dt Γ(1 − α) 0 (t − τ )α
Notice that the generalized fractional derivative D0α,γ +
reduces to the Riemann-
Liouville fractional derivative and Caputo fractional derivative for γ = α and γ = 1,
respectively,
D0α,α
+
w(t) := D0α+ w(t), D0α,1
+
w(t) := C D0α+ w(t),
where D0α+ w(t) and C D0α+ w(t) are the left sided Riemann-Liouville and Caputo
fractional derivatives of order 0 < α < 1 given by (2.1) and (2.2), respectively. The
Laplace transform of the generalized fractional derivative (1.5) is given by [12],

L{D0α,γ f (t)} = sα
L{f (t)} − sα−γ 1−γ
I f (t)  , 0 < α ≤ γ < 1. (2.3)

+ 0+
t=0

Let H be a Hilbert space with the inner product h·, ·i. A set of functions F in
H is called complete in the interval I if there exists no function f in H, essentially
different from zero, which is orthogonal to all the functions of the set F in the
interval I. Two sets S1 and S2 of functions of H form a bi-orthogonal system of
functions if a one-to-one correspondence can be established between them such that
the scalar product of two corresponding functions is equal to unity and the scalar
product of two non-corresponding functions is equal to zero, i.e.,
(
1 i=j
hfi , gj i = δij =
0 i 6= j
where fi ∈ S1 , gi ∈ S2 and δij is the Kronecker symbol. The bi-orthogonal system
is complete in H if the sets S1 and S2 forming bi-orthogonal system are complete
in H.
The Mittag-Leffler function for any z ∈ C with parameter ξ is given by
+∞
X zk
Eξ (z) = Re ξ > 0. (2.4)
Γ(ξk + 1)
k=0

Notice that for ξ = 1, we have E1 (z) = ez .

The Mittag-Leffler type function of two parameters Eξ,β (z) which is a general-
ization of (2.4) is defined by
+∞
X zk
Eξ,β (z) = , z, β ∈ C; Re ξ > 0. (2.5)
Γ(ξk + β)
k=0
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 5

The Mittag-Leffler type functions Eξ (−µtξ ) and tβ−1 Eξ,β (−µtξ ) for µ > 0, 0 <
ξ ≤ β ≤ 1 are completely monotone functions, i.e.,
(−1)n [Eξ (−µtξ )](n) ≥ 0, (−1)n [tβ−1 Eξ,β (−µtξ )](n) ≥ 0, n ∈ N ∪ {0}. (2.6)
The function Eξ,β is an entire function [33] and thus is bounded in any finite
interval, that is
Eξ,β (µtξ ) ≤ M, t ∈ [b, c], b ≥ 0,
for some positive constant M and furthermore, we have
Z t
τ β−1 Eξ,β (µτ ξ )dτ < ∞, for t ∈ [b, c], (2.7)
0
(see [33, page 9]). The Mittag-Leffler type function tβ−1 Eξ,β (z) whose fractional
integral is
I01−γ
+
[tβ−1 Eξ,β (λtξ )] = tβ−γ Eξ,β−γ+1 (λtξ ), 0 ≤ γ ≤ 1, ξ, β > 0, λ ∈ R, (2.8)
plays an important role in the forthcoming sections.
The Laplace transform of tβ−1 Eξ,β (λtξ ) is
sξ−β
L{tβ−1 Eξ,β (λtξ )} = , Re s > 0, |λs−ξ | < 1, (2.9)
(sξ − λ)
where ξ, β, λ ∈ C, Re ξ > 0 and Re β > 0. Also from [31], we have
λtξ |Eξ,β (−λtξ )| ≤ M, 0 < ξ < 2, β ∈ C, t ≥ 0, λ ≥ 0, (2.10)
for some constant M > 0.
For ISP-I we have the following results:
Theorem 2.1. Suppose following conditions hold:
(1) ϕ(x) ∈ C 5 [0, 1] be such that ϕ(0) = 0, ϕ0 (0) = ϕ0 (1), ϕ00 (1) = 0 = ϕiv (0)
and ϕ000 (0) = ϕ000 (1).
(2) ψ(x) ∈ C 5 [0, 1] be such that ψ(0) = 0, ψ 0 (0) = ψ 0 (1), ψ 00 (1) = 0 = ψ iv (0)
and ψ 000 (0) = ψ 000 (1).
Then, there exist a regular solution of the ISP-I.
Theorem 2.2. A regular solution of the ISP-I (if it exists) is unique.
Theorem 2.3. The solution of the ISP-I, under the assumptions of Theorem 2.1,
depends continuously on the given data.
For second inverse problem (ISP-II), we have the following results:
Theorem 2.4. Suppose the following conditions hold:
(1) ϕ(x) ∈ C 4 [0, 1] be such that ϕ(0) = 0, ϕ0 (0) = ϕ0 (1), ϕ00 (1) = 0 and
ϕ000 (0) = ϕ000 (1).
(2) f (·, t) ∈ C 4 [0, 1] be such that f (0, t) = 0, fx (0, t) = fx (1, t), fxx (1, t) = 0
R1
and fxxx (0, t) = fxxx (1, t). Furthermore 0 xf (x, t) dx 6= 0 and
Z 1
1
0< ∗ ≤| xf (x, t) dx|, where M ∗ > 0.
M 0
R1
(3) g(t) ∈ AC[0, T ] and g(t) satisfies the consistency condition 0 xϕ(x) dx =
I01−γ
+
g(t)|t=0 . Then, the ISP-II has a regular solution, furthermore the reg-
ular solution of the ISP-II is unique.
6 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

Theorem 2.5. A regular solution of the ISP-II (under the assumptions of Theorem
2.4) is unique.
Theorem 2.6. The solution of the ISP-II, under the assumptions of Theorem 2.4,
depends continuously on the given data.

3. Inverse Source Problem I

In this section, we present proofs of our main results. Before we proceed further
let us construct a bi-orthogonal system of functions consisting of eigenfunctions of
the spectral problem (1.1)–(1.4) and its adjoint problem.

3.1. Construction of two Riesz basis for the space L2 (0, 1). The spectral
problem for the initial boundary value problem (1.1)–(1.4) given by
X iv (x) = λX(x), x ∈ (0, 1), (3.1)
00 0 0 000 000
X(0) = X (1) = 0, X (0) = X (1), X (0) = X (1). (3.2)
is non-self-adjoint and the adjoint problem of the spectral problem (3.1)–(3.2) is
Y iv (x) = λY (x), x ∈ (0, 1), (3.3)
00 00 0 000
Y (0) = Y (1), Y (0) = Y (1), Y (0) = Y (1) = 0. (3.4)
The set of eigenfunctions for the boundary value problem (3.1)–(3.2), corre-
sponding to eigenvalues λ0 = 0 and λn = (2πn)4 , is
e2πnx − e2πn(1−x)
{X0 (x) = 2x, X2n−1 (x) = 2 sin 2πnx, X2n (x) = + cos 2πnx}
e2πn − 1
for n ∈ N and is a complete set of functions in L2 (0, 1). Furthermore, this set forms
a Riesz basis for the space L2 (0, 1) (see [3, Lemma 2, and Proposition 1]). The set
of eigenfunctions is not orthogonal as
Z 1
X0 (x)X2n−1 dx 6= 0.
0

For the adjoint problem (3.3)–(3.4), the eigenfunctions corresponding to eigenvalues

λ0 = 0 and λn = (2πn)4 are given by
e2πnx + e2πn(1−x)
{Y0 (x) = 1, Y2n−1 (x) = + sin 2πnx, Y2n (x) = 2 cos 2πnx}.
e2πn − 1
The set of functions form a bi-orthogonal system of functions under the following
one-to-one correspondence
{ X0 (x), X2n−1 (x), X2n (x)},
| {z } | {z } | {z }
↓ ↓ ↓
{Y0 (x), Y2n−1 (x), Y2n (x)},
i.e., hXi , Yj i = δij for i, j = 0, 2n − 1, 2n, for n ∈ N, where
Z 1
hg1 , g2 i := g1 (x)g2 (x) dx.
0

We are in a position to present the proof of the Theorem 2.1.

EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 7

Proof of Theorem 2.1. Expanding u(x, t) and f (x) using bi-orthogonal system of
functions, we have
∞
X ∞
X
u(x, t) = u0 (t)X0 (x) + u2n−1 (t)X2n−1 (x) + u2n (t)X2n (x), (3.5)
n=1 n=1
∞
X X∞
f (x) = f0 X0 (x) + f2n−1 X2n−1 (x) + f2n X2n (x), (3.6)
n=1 n=1
where u0 (t), u2n−1 (t), u2n (t), f0 , f2n−1 , and f2n for n ∈ N, are unknowns to be
determined.
From the expansion of u(x, t) given by (3.5) and using properties of the bi-
orthogonal system of functions, we have
u0 (t) = hu(x, t), Y0 (x)i, u2n−1 (t) = hu(x, t), Y2n−1 (x)i,
u2n (t) = hu(x, t), Y2n (x)i.
Consider Z 1
u2n−1 (t) = hu(x, t), Y2n−1 (x)i := u(x, t)Y2n−1 dx .
0
Taking the fractional derivative under the integral and using (1.1) with F (x, t) =
f (x), we have
Z 1 Z 1
α,γ
D0+ u2n−1 (t) = − uxxxx Y2n−1 (x) dx + f (x)Y2n−1 (x) dx.
0 0
Integrating by parts and using the boundary conditions (1.3)–(1.4), we obtain
D0α,γ
+
u2n−1 (t) + λn u2n−1 (t) = f2n−1 . (3.7)
Similarly, we have the linear fractional differential equations
D0α,γ
+
u0 (t) = f0 , (3.8)
D0α,γ
+
u2n (t) + λn u2n (t) = f2n . (3.9)
Taking Laplace transform of (3.7) and using formula (2.3), we obtain
 sα−γ  f2n−1
L{u2n−1 (t)} = I01−γ u 2n−1 (t)r|t=0 + .
+
sα + λn s(sα + λn )
The solution of (3.7) is obtained by applying inverse Laplace transform, formula
(2.9) and L−1 (L{f1 (t)}L{f2 (t)}) = (f1 ∗ f2 )(t),

u2n−1 (t) = I01−γ u (t)  tγ−1 Eα,γ (−λn tα )

+ 2n−1
t=0
Z t (3.10)
+ f2n−1 τ α−1 Eα,α (−λn τ α )dτ.
0
Similarly, the solutions of (3.8) and (3.9) are given by
 tγ−1 tα
u0 (t) = I01−γ u (t) + f , (3.11)

0 0
t=0 Γ(γ) Γ(α + 1)
+

 Z t
u2n (t) = I01−γ u (t) tγ−1
E (−λ tα
) + f τ α−1 Eα,α (−λn τ α )dτ, (3.12)

+ 2n  α,γ n 2n
t=0 0
respectively. By the initial condition (1.2), we have
I01−γ
+
u0 (t)r|t=0 = ϕ0 , I01−γ
+
u2n−1 (t)r|t=0 = ϕ2n−1 , I01−γ
+
u2n (t)r|t=0 = ϕ2n ,
8 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

where ϕ0 , ϕ2n−1 and ϕ2n are the coefficients of series expansion of ϕ(x) when ex-
panded using the bi-orthogonal system and are given by
Z 1 Z 1
ϕ0 = ϕ(x)Y0 (x) dx, ϕ2n−1 = ϕ(x)Y2n−1 (x) dx,
0 0
Z 1 (3.13)
ϕ2n = ϕ(x)Y2n (x) dx.
0
Alike, using the condition u(x, T ) = ψ(x), we have
u0 (T ) = ψ0 , u2n−1 (T ) = ψ2n−1 , u2n (T ) = ψ2n , (3.14)
where ψ0 , ψ2n−1 and ψ2n are the coefficients of series expansion of the function ψ(x)
in terms of the bi-orthogonal system of functions. 
Before we proceed further let us fix some notation
Z t
En(1) (t) := tγ−1 Eα,γ (−λn tα ), En(2) (t) := τ α−1 Eα,α (−λn τ α )dτ.
0
By using these notation and taking (3.10)–(3.12) into account we can write
tγ−1 tα
u0 (t) = ϕ0 + f0 ,
Γ(γ) Γ(α + 1)
u2n−1 (t) = ϕ2n−1 En(1) (t) + f2n−1 En(2) (t),
u2n (t) = ϕ2n En(1) (t) + f2n mathcalEn(2) (t).
Due to (3.14)–(3.1) the unknowns f0 , f2n−1 , f2n are determined as
 ϕ0 T γ−1  Γ(1 + α)
f0 = ψ0 − , (3.15)
Γ(γ) Tα
(1)
ψ2n−1 − ϕ2n−1 En (T )
f2n−1 = (2)
, (3.16)
En (T )
(1)
ψ2n − ϕ2n En (T )
f2n = (2)
. (3.17)
En (T )
The solution of the ISP-I is given by the series (3.5) and (3.6), where u0 (t), u2n−1 (t),
u2n (t), f0 , f2n−1 and f2n given by (3.1)–(3.17), respectively.
Before proceeding further, we recall [18, Lemma 5 on page 89].
Lemma 3.1. Let f ∈ L2 (0, 1) and
Z 1 Z 1
an = f (x)eµn(x−1) dx, bn = f (x)e−µnx dx,
0 0
where µ is any complex number such that Re µ > 0. Then the series
∞
X ∞
X
|an |2 , |bn |2
n=1 n=1
are convergent.
Existence of the solution of the ISP-I: To show that the solution of the inverse
problem represented by the series (3.5) and (3.6) is a regular solution we need to
show that
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 9

• The series corresponding to u(x, t), ux (x, t), uxx (x, t), uxxx (x, t), uxxxx (x, t),
and D0α,γ
+
u(x, t) represent continuous functions.
• The series corresponding to f (x) is continuous on [0, 1].
Let
∞
X ∞
X
u(x, t) = W0 + W2n−1 + W2n , (3.18)
n=1 n=1
where W0 = u0 (t)X0 (x), W2n−1 = u2n−1 (t)X2n−1 (x), W2n = u2n (t)X2n (x), and
u0 (t), u2n−1 (t) and u2n (t) are given by (3.1)–(3.1).
We shall show that all the series involved in (3.18) represents a continuous func-
(1)
tion on Ω := [0, 1] × [, T ] for  > 0. By using (2.10) the bound for En (t) is
obtained as
C1
En(1) (t) ≤ 1+α−γ , t ∈ [, T ], (3.19)
t λn
and using (2.7), we can have
En(2) (t) ≤ C2 , t ∈ [, T ],
where C1 and C2 are constants. For some fixed time (say) T , using above estimates
together with (2.6)–(2.7), we can choose M1 , and M2 , independent of n, such that
|En(1) (T )| ≤ M1 , |En(2) (T )|−1 ≤ M2 , n ∈ N.
From (3.13) and integration by parts, we have
√
1 iv 2 √
|ϕ2n−1 | = hϕ (x), Y2n−1 (x)i, |ϕ2n | = hϕ0 (x), 2 sin 2πnxi,
λn (2πn)
using elementary inequality ab ≤ 1/2(a2 + b2 ) for all a, b ∈ R, we obtain
1 1 1 1 √
|ϕ2n−1 | ≤ ( 2 + In2 ), |ϕ2n | ≤ √ { 2
+ (hϕ0 (x), 2 sin 2πnxi)2 },
2 λn 2 (2πn)
P∞
where In = hϕiv (x), Y2n−1 (x)i. By Lemma
√ 3.1 we conclude that the series n=1 In2
converges absolutely. The sequence { 2 sin 2πnx}∞ n=1 is an orthonormal sequence
in L2 (0, 1), hence by Bessel’s inequality, we have
∞ ∞
X 1 X 1
|ϕ2n | ≤ √ { 2
+ kϕ0 (x)k2L2 (0,1) }.
n=1
2 n=1
(2πn)
Also, we have
|ϕ0 | = hϕ(x), Y0 (x)i ≤ 2kϕ(x)kL2 (0,1) .
Similarly, the estimates for ψ0 , ψ2n−1 and ψ2n are obtained as
∞
X 1 1 
|ψ0 | ≤ 2kψ(x)kL2 (0,1) , |ψ2n−1 | ≤ 2
+ Jn2 ,
n=1
2 λn
∞ ∞
X 1 nX 1 0 2
o
|ψ2n | ≤ √ + kψ (x)kL 2 (0,1) ,

n=1
2 n=1 (2πn)2
where Jn = hψ iv (x), Y2n−1 (x)i. Consequently, from (3.15)–(3.17), we obtained the
following estimates
T 1+α−γ |f0 | ≤ 2C3 kψ(x)kL2 (0,1) + kϕ(x)kL2 (0,1) ,


(3.20)
10 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

∞
X M2 n 1 2
 1
2
o
|f2n−1 | ≤ + Jn + M1 + I n , (3.21)
n=1
2 λ2n λ2n
∞ ∞
X M2 n X 1
|f2n | ≤ √ 2
+ kψ 0 (x)k2L2 (0,1)
n=1
2 n=1
(2πn)
∞
(3.22)
X 1 0 2
o
+ M1 + kϕ (x)k 2
L (0,1) ,
n=1
(2πn)2
where
n Γ(1 + α) tα t1+2α−γ o
C3 = max , t1−γ Γ(1 + α),
, ,
Γ(γ) Γ(γ) Γ(1 + α)
for all t ∈ [, T ]. From estimates (3.20)–(3.22) the series expansion of f (x) given
by (3.6) represents a continuous function on Ω .
Using (3.20)–(3.22) and |Xn (x)| ≤ 2 for n ∈ N ∪ {0}, we have the following
estimates for the series involved in (3.18),
t1+α−γ |W0 | ≤ 4C3 {kϕ(x)kL2 (0,1) + C3 (kψ(x)kL2 (0,1) + kϕ(x)kL2 (0,1) )},
∞
1+α−γ
X hC C
1 4 t1+α−γ C2 M2 n 1 2
 1
2
oi
t |W2n−1 | ≤ 2 + + J n + M 1 + I n ,
n=1
λn 2 λ2n λ2n
∞ ∞
X hC C
1 5 t1+α−γ C2 M2 n X 1
t1+α−γ |W2n | ≤ 2 + √ 2
+ kψ 0 (x)k2L2 (0,1)
n=1
λ n 2 n=1
(2πn)
∞
X 1 0 2
oi
+ M1 ( + kϕ (x)k 2
L (0,1) ) ,
n=1
(2πn)2
where C4 and C5 are positive constants such that
∞
X ∞
X
|ϕ2n−1 | ≤ C4 , and |ϕ2n | ≤ C5 .
n=1 n=1

Thus all the series in (3.18) are bounded above by uniformly convergent numerical
series. Consequently, by Weierstrass M-test the series expansion of u(x, t) given by
(3.18) is uniformly convergent in Ω .
Notice that
X0iv (x) = 0, iv
X2n−1 (x) = λn X2n−1 (x), iv
X2n (x) = λn X2n (x).
Let us show that the series representation of uxxxx (x, t) obtained from (3.18) is
uniformly convergent series.
Integration by parts leads us to the following estimates
1 e2πnx − e2πn(1−x) In∗
|ϕ2n−1 | = hϕv (x), − cos 2πnxi = , (3.23)
(2πn)5 e2πn − 1 (2πn)5
√
1 2
|ϕ2n | = 5
hϕv (x), 2 sin(2πnx)i ≤ kϕv (x)kL2 (0,1) , (3.24)
(2πn) (2πn)5
1 e2πnx − e2πn(1−x) Jn∗
|ψ2n−1 | = 5
hψ v (x), 2πn
− cos 2πnxi = , (3.25)
(2πn) e −1 (2πn)5
√
1 v 2
|ψ2n | = hψ (x), 2 sin(2πnx)i ≤ kψ v (x)kL2 (0,1) , (3.26)
(2πn)5 (2πn)5
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 11

where In∗ = hϕv (x), (e2πnx − e2πn(1−x) )/(e2πn − 1) − cos 2πnxi and
Jn∗ = hψ v (x), (e2πnx − e2πn(1−x) )/(e2πn − 1) − cos 2πnxi.
Using (3.23)–(3.26) in (3.15)–(3.17) the estimates for f2n−1 and f2n , are
1 M1 ∗
|f2n−1 | ≤ M2 { J∗ + I }, (3.27)
(2πn)5 n λn n
2 2M1
|f2n | ≤ M2 { kψ v (x)kL2 (0,1) + kϕv (x)kL2 (0,1) }. (3.28)
(2πn)5 (2πn)5
From (3.23)–(3.28) we have
∞ ∞ n C I∗
X ∂ 4 W2n−1 X 1 n Jn∗ M1 In∗ o
t1+α−γ | 4
| ≤ 2λn 5
+ t1+α−γ M2 C2 ( 5
+ ) ,
n=1
∂x n=1
λn (2πn) (2πn) (2πn)5
(3.29)
∞ 4 ∞ v
X ∂ W2n X n C1 kϕ (x)kL2 (0,1)
t1+α−γ | 4
|≤ 2λn 5
+ t1+α−γ M2 C2
n=1
∂x n=1
λ n (2πn)
(3.30)
 kϕv (x)k 2 M1 kψ v (x)kL2 (0,1) o
L (0,1)
× + .
(2πn)5 (2πn)5
By using the inequality 2ab ≤ (a2 +b2 ) and Lemma 3.1 the series involved in (3.29)–
(3.30) are uniformly convergent. Moreover by the assumptions on ϕ(x) and ψ(x)
it can be concluded that the series expansion of uxxxx (x, t) is bounded above by
convergent series and represents a continuous function.
Next we show that the series corresponding to fractional derivative D0α,γ
+
u(x, t)
is uniformly convergent, i.e.,
∞
X ∞
X
D0α,γ
+
W2n−1 (t), D0α,γ
+
W2n (t),
n=1 n=1

are uniformly convergent. From (3.7)–(3.9), we have

D0α,γ
+
W0 = f0 X0 (x), (3.31)
∞
X ∞
X
D0α,γ
+
W2n−1 = [λn u2n−1 (t) + f2n−1 ] X2n−1 (x), (3.32)
n=1 n=1
∞
X X∞
D0α,γ
+
W2n = [λn u2n (t) + f2n ] X2n (x). (3.33)
n=1 n=1
P∞
Using estimates (3.23)–(3.28) and Weierstrass M-test, the series n=1 D0α,γ
+
W2n−1
P∞
and n=1 D0α,γ+
W2n are uniformly convergent on Ω .
At this stage let us recall the [34, Lemma 15.2, page 278].
Lemma 3.2. Let the fractional derivative D0α,γ
+
fn exists for all n ∈ N and the
P∞ P∞ α,γ
series n=1 fn and n=1 D0+ fn are uniformly convergent on every subinterval
[, b] for  > 0 then
∞
X  X∞
D0α,γ
+
fn (x) = D0α,γ
+
fn (x), 0 < α ≤ γ < 1, 0 < x < b.
n=1 n=1
12 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

By the estimates (3.23)–(3.28) and Lemmas 3.2 and 3.3 it can be deduced that the
series involved in D0α,γ
+
u(x, t) are bounded above by uniformly convergent numerical
series and hence by Weierstrass M-test D0α,γ +
u(x, t) is uniformly convergent.

Proof of Theorem 2.2. (Uniqueness of the solution of the ISP-I)

Suppose {u1 (x, t), f1 (x)} and {u2 (x, t), f2 (x)} are two solution sets of the ISP-I,
then ū(x, t) = u1 (x, t) − u2 (x, t) and f¯(x) = f1 (x) − f2 (x) satisfy
D0α,γ
+
ū(x, t) + ūxxxx (x, t) = f¯(x), (x, t) ∈ Ω, (3.34)

I01−γ ū(x, t) = 0, ū(x, T ) = 0, x ∈ [0, 1], (3.35)

+

t=0
ūx (0, t) = ūx (1, t), ū(0, t) = 0, t ∈ [0, T ], (3.36)
ūxxx (0, t) = ūxxx (1, t), ūxx (1, t) = 0, t ∈ [0, T ], (3.37)
Following the strategy in [29], we consider the functions
Z 1
ū0 (t) = ū(x, t)Y0 (x)dx,
0
Z 1
ū2n−1 (t) = ū(x, t)Y2n−1 (x)dx, (3.38)
0
Z 1
ū2n (t) = ū(x, t)Y2n (x)dx,
0

and
Z 1
f¯0 = f¯(x)Y0 (x)dx,
0
Z 1
f¯2n−1 = f¯(x)Y2n−1 (x)dx, (3.39)
0
Z 1
f¯2n = f¯(x)Y2n (x)dx.
0
Applying the time fractional derivative D0α,γ +
(·) to both sides of each equation in
(3.38), we obtain
Z 1
D0α,γ
+
ū 0 (t) = D0α,γ
+
ū(x, t)Y0 (x)dx,
0
Z 1
D0α,γ
+
ū2n−1 (t) = D0α,γ
+
ū(x, t)Y2n−1 (x)dx, (3.40)
0
Z 1
D0α,γ
+
ū2n (t) = D0α,γ
+
ū(x, t)Y2n (x)dx.
0

Let us take the third equation in (3.40). Using (3.34) together with the conditions
(3.36)-(3.37), we obtain the fractional differential equation
D0α,γ
+
ū2n (t) + λn ū2n (t) = f¯2n . (3.41)
By using Laplace transform technique the solution of (3.41) is
Z t
1−γ γ−1 α ¯ τ α−1 Eα,α (−λn τ α )dτ. (3.42)

ū2n (t) = I0+ ū2n (t) t=0 t
 Eα,γ (−λn t ) + f2n
0
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 13

Since
Z 1  Z 1 
ū2n (t) = ū(x, t)Y2n (x)dx ⇒ I01−γ ū2n (t) = I01−γ ū(x, t) Y2n (x)dx
 
+ +

0 t=0 0 t=0

and by using the initial condition from (3.35) the solution (3.42) takes the form
Z t
¯
ū2n (t) = f2n τ α−1 Eα,α (−λn τ α )dτ. (3.43)
0

By using the final temperature condition from (3.35), we obtain f¯2n = 0 and con-
sequently ū2n (t) = 0 for all t ∈ [0, T ].
Similarly, we can shaow that for all t ∈ [0, T ],
ū0 (t) = 0, ū2n−1 (t) = 0, f¯0 = 0, f¯2n−1 = 0. (3.44)
The uniqueness of the regular solution of the ISP-I follows from the completeness
of the set {Y0 (x), Y2n−1 (x), Y2n (x)}, n ∈ N (see [3, Lemma 2]).
It remains to show that u(x, t) given by (3.18) agrees with the initial and final
data. We have
t1+α−γ
I01−γ

W0 = ϕ0 + f0 X0 (x),
+
Γ(2 + α − γ)
1−γ α 1+α−γ
Eα,2+α−γ (−λn tα )f2n−1 X2n−1 (x),

I0+ W2n−1 Eα,1 (−λn t )ϕ2n−1 + t
I01−γ W2n = Eα,1 (−λn tα )ϕ2n + t1+α−γ Eα,2+α−γ (−λn tα )f2n X2n (x).

+

The term by term fractional integral of (3.18) converges to I01−γ

+
u(x, t) and it is
uniformly convergent on [, T ]. For t = 0 we have,
I01−γ W0 |t=0 = ϕ0 X0 (x), I01−γ

+ +
W2n−1 t=0 = ϕ2n−1 X2n−1 (x),
I01−γ

+
W2n t=0 = ϕ2n X2n .
Therefore,
∞
X ∞
X
I01−γ

+
u(x, t) 
t=0
= ϕ0 X0 + ϕ 2n−1 X2n−1 + ϕ2n X2n ,
n=1 n=1

which is the series expansion of ϕ(x), when expanded using bi-orthogonal system.
Similarly, we can show that for u(x, t) given by (3.18) the over-determination is
also satisfied, that is, u(x, T ) = ψ(x). 

Before providing the proof of our stability result, i.e., Theorem 2.3 let us mention
the following result from [14].
Lemma 3.3. For any function f ∈ L2 (0, 1) the inequality
∞
X
r1 kf k2L2 (0,1) ≤ fn2 ≤ R1 kf k2L2 (0,1) , (3.45)
n=0

is valid, where r1 and R1 are constants and fn are coefficients of the bi-orthogonal
expansion of the function f in any Riesz basis {Rn (x)} given by
fn = hf, Wn i, n ∈ N ∪ {0},
where {Wn (x)} is corresponding bi-orthogonal set of Riesz basis {Rn (x)}.
14 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

Proof of Theorem 2.3. Let {u(x, t), f (x)}, {ũ(x, t), f˜(x)} be two solution sets of the
ISP-I corresponding to the data {ϕ, ψ}, {ϕ̃, ψ̃} respectively. By Lemma 3.3, we have
∞
2 1 X
kf − f˜kL2 (0,1) ≤ (fn − f˜n )2 .
r1 n=0

Consider
 Γ(1 + α) 2 h T γ−1   T γ−1 i2
(f0 − f˜0 )2 = α
ψ0 − ϕ0 − ψ̃0 − ϕ̃0
T Γ(γ) Γ(γ) (3.46)
h i
≤ 2C32 (ψ0 − ψ̃0 )2 + C32 (ϕ0 − ϕ̃0 )2 ,

where we have used (a ± b)2 ≤ 2a2 + 2b2 . Similarly, we have

∞
X
(f2n−1 − f˜2n−1 )2
n=1
∞ h 2 i (3.47)
X
2
≤ 2(M2 ) ψ2n−1 − ψ̃2n−1 + (M1 )2 (ϕ2n−1 − ϕ̃2n−1 )2 ,
n=1
∞
X ∞
X h 2 i
(f2n − f˜2n )2 ≤ 2(M2 )2 ψ2n − ψ̃2n + (M1 )2 (ϕ2n − ϕ̃2n )2 . (3.48)
n=1 n=1

Setting
N = max 2C32 , 2C34 , 2(M1 )2 (M2 )2 , 2(M2 )2 ,


and using the estimates (3.46)-(3.48) we have

∞
X
(fn − f˜n )2
n=0
h ∞
X ∞
X
≤ 3N (ϕ0 − ϕ̃0 )2 + (ϕ2n−1 − ϕ̃2n−1 )2 + (ϕ2n − ϕ̃2n )2
n=1 n=1 (3.49)
∞
X ∞
X i
+ (ψ0 − ψ̃0 )2 + (ψ2n−1 − ψ̃2n−1 )2 + (ψn − ψ̃2n )2
n=1 n=1
 
≤ 3N R1 kϕ − ϕ̃k2L2 (0,1) + kψ − ψ̃k2L2 (0,1) .

By Lemma 3.3, we have

∞
1 X 3N R1  
kf − f˜k2L2 (0,1) ≤ (fn − f˜n )2 ≤ kϕ − ϕ̃k2L2 (0,1) + kψ − ψ̃k2L2 (0,1) ,
r1 n=0 r1
r
3N R1  
kf − f˜kL2 (0,1) ≤ kϕ − ϕ̃kL2 (0,1) + kψ − ψ̃kL2 (0,1) .
r1
Similarly we can obtain a stability result for u(x, t). 

4. Inverse source problem II

In this section, we shall deal with ISP-II for (1.1)–(1.4), with F (x, t) = a(t)f (x, t),
where f (x, t) is known and a pair of functions {u(x, t), a(t)} is to be determined.
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 15

Proof of Theorem 2.4. To determine the solution of ISP-II, i.e., the pair of functions
{u(x, t), a(t)}, we expand u(x, t) and f (x, t) using bi-orthogonal system functions
∞
X ∞
X ∞
X
u(x, t) = u0 (t)X 0 (x) + u2n−1 (t)X2n−1 (x) + u2n (t)X2n (x), (4.1)
n=1 n=1 n=1
X∞ X∞ X∞
f (x, t) = f0 (t)X 0 (x) + f2n−1 (t)X2n−1 (x) + f2n (t)X2n (x), (4.2)
n=1 n=1 n=1

where u0 (t), u2n−1 (t) and u2n (t) are to be determined, f0 (t), f2n−1 (t) and f2n (t) are
coefficients of f (x, t), when expanded by using bi-orthogonal system. The following
linear fractional differential equations are obtained
D0α,γ
+
u 0 (t) = a(t)f0 (t), (4.3)
D0α,γ
+
u2n−1 (t) = −λn u2n−1 (t) + a(t)f2n−1 (t), (4.4)
α,γ
D0+ u2n (t) = −λn u2n (t) + a(t)f2n (t), n ∈ N. (4.5)

The solutions of the fractional differential equations (4.3)–(4.5) are

tγ−1 tα−1
u0 (t) = ϕ0 + a(t)f0 (t) ∗ , (4.6)
Γ(γ) Γ(α)
u2n−1 (t) = ϕ2n−1 En(1) (t) + a(t)f2n−1 (t) ∗ En(3) (t), (4.7)
u2n (t) = ϕ2n En(1) (t) + a(t)f2n (t) ∗ En(3) (t), (4.8)

where * is the integral convolution operator and

En(3) (t) = tα−1 Eα,α (−λn tα ).

Taking the generalized fractional derivative D0α,γ
+
, under the integral sign of the
over-determination condition (1.7) and using (1.1) along with F (x, t) = a(t)f (x, t),
we obtain
Z 1 −1  Z 1 
α,γ
a(t) = xf (x, t)dx D0+ g(t) + xuxxxx (x, t)dx . (4.9)
0 0
R1
From the conditions of Theorem 2.4, we have 0
xf (x, t)dx 6= 0 and is given by
Z 1
xf (x, t)dx
0
∞ ∞  (4.10)
2 X 1 X −1 1 + e2πn 
= f0 (t) − f2n−1 (t) + + f2n (t),
3 n=1
πn n=1
2π 2 n2 2πn(e2πn − 1)

and
Z 1 ∞
X n 1  (1) 
xuxxxx dx = λn − En (t)ϕ2n−1 (t) + a(t)f2n−1 (t) ∗ En(3) (t)
0 n=1
πn
 −1 1 + e2πn  (4.11)
+ +
2π 2 n2 2πn(e2πn − 1)

o
× En(1) (t)ϕ2n (t) + a(t)f2n (t) ∗ En(3) (t) .
16 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

By (4.10)–(4.11), we have the following linear Volterra type integral equation of

second kind
Z 1 −1  Z t 
α,γ
a(t) = xf (x, t)dx D0+ g(t) + T (t) + K(t, τ )a(τ ) dτ , (4.12)
0 0

where
∞
X n 1 (1)
T (t) = λn − En (t)ϕ2n−1 (t)
n=1
πn
(4.13)
 −1 1 + e2πn  (1) o
+ + E (t)ϕ2n (t) ,
2π 2 n2 2πn(e2πn − 1) n
and
∞
X n 1  
K(t, τ ) = λn − f2n−1 (τ )En(3) (t − τ )
n=1
πn
(4.14)
 −1 1 + e2πn  (3)
o
+ + f2n (τ )En (t − τ ) .
2π 2 n2 2πn(e2πn − 1)


Let us consider the space of continuous functions C[0, T ], equipped with the
Chebyshev norm
kf kC[0,T ] := max |f (t)|.
0≤t≤T
Define an operator B(a(t)) := a(t), where the operator B is
Z 1 −1  Z t 
B(a(t)) = xf (x, t)dx D0α,γ
+
g(t) + T (t) + K(t, τ )a(τ ) dτ . (4.15)
0 0

To show that the mapping B: C[0, T ] → C[0, T ] is a contraction map. First of all,
we shall show that a(t) ∈ C[0, T ] implies that B(a(t)) ∈ C[0, T ].
By using (2.10) there exists a constant C6 such that
C6
tEn(3) (t) ≤ t ∈ [, T ]. (4.16)
λn
Using (3.13), integration by parts and Bessel’s inequality, we obtained the in-
equalities
√
1 2 iv
|ϕ2n−1 | ≤ In , and |ϕ2n | ≤ kϕ (x)kL2 (0,1) .
λn λn
Similarly we obtain
√
1 2 iv
|f2n−1 | ≤ Hn , and |f2n | ≤ kf (x)kL2 (0,1) ,
λn λn
where Hn = hf iv , Y2n−1 i. From estimates (3.19), (4.16) and using above relations
we have
∞ n I  1 √
1+α−γ
X n 1  2 iv o
t |T (t)| ≤ C1 + + kϕ (x)k L 2 (0,1) ,

n=1
πnλn π 2 n2 πn λn
∞ n H  1 √
X n 1  2 iv o
t|K(t, τ )| ≤ C6 + + kf (x)kL 2 (0,1) .

n=1
πnλn π 2 n2 πn λn
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 17

Hence, the series (4.13) and (4.14) are uniformly convergent by Weierstrass M-test.
The uniform convergence of the series (4.14) allow us to write
kK(t, τ )kC[0,T ] ≤ K1 , t ∈ (0, T ],
where K1 is a constant, consequently B(a(t)) ∈ C[0, T ].
Without loss of generality we set T such that T < 1/K1 M ∗ .
Let us show that the mapping B : C[0, T ] → C[0, T ] is contraction, for this we
take
Z t
|B(a) − B(c)| ≤ M ∗ |a(τ ) − c(τ )||K(t, τ )|dτ ≤ T K1 M ∗ max |a(τ ) − c(τ )|,
0 0≤t≤T

kB(a) − B(c)kC[0,T ] ≤ T K1 M ∗ ka − ckC[0,T ] ,

(4.17)
thus, the mapping B(·) is a contraction which assures the unique determination of
a ∈ C[0, T ] by Banach fixed point theorem.
The solution u(x, t) is formally given by the series (4.1); the uniform conver-
gence of the series involved in u(x, t),ux (x, t), uxx (x, t), uxxx (x, t), uxxxx (x, y) and
D0α,γ
+
u(x, t) directly follows from the estimates obtained in the previous section.

Proof of Theorem 2.5. (Uniqueness of the solution of the ISP-II) We have already
proved uniqueness of the source term a(t) in Theorem 2.4, it remains to prove
uniqueness of u(x, t).
Let u(x, t) and v(x, t) be two solutions, and let ū(x, t) = u(x, t) − v(x, t). Then
ū(x, t) satisfy the equation
D0α,γ
+
ū(x, t) = ūxxxx (x, t), (x, t) ∈ Ω, (4.18)
with initial condition
I01−γ
+
ū(x, t)|t=0 = 0, x ∈ [0, 1], (4.19)
and nonlocal boundary conditions
ūx (0, t) = ūx (1, t), ū(0, t) = 0 t ∈ [0, T ], (4.20)
ūxxx (0, t) = 0 = ūxxx (1, t) ūxx (1, t) = 0, t ∈ [0, T ]. (4.21)
Consider the functions
Z 1
ū0 (t) = ū(x, t)Y0 (x)dx,
0
Z 1
ū2n−1 (t) = ū(x, t)Y2n−1 (x)dx,
0
Z 1
ū2n (t) = ū(x, t)Y2n (x)dx.
0
Following the same steps as in the proof of Theorem 2.2, we can show that
ū0 (t) = 0, ū2n−1 (t) = 0, ū2n (t) = 0, t ∈ [0, T ].
Consequently, the uniqueness of the solution follows from the completeness of the
set of function {Y0 (x), Y2n−1 (x), Y2n (x)}, n ∈ N. 

The proof of Theorem 2.6, the stability result is similar to the proof of Theorem
2.3. Theefore, we omit it.
18 S. AZIZ, S. A. MALIK EJDE-2016/293

5. Examples
In this section, we provide some examples for ISP-I and ISP-II.
Example 5.1. Consider the ISP-I with initial and final temperatures
ϕ(x) = sin 2πx, ψ(x) = (1 + T α ) sin 2πx.
The coefficients of the series expansions of φ(x) and ψ(x) using bi-orthogonal system
of functions are
(
1/2, n = 1,
ϕ0 = 0, ϕ2n = 0, ϕ2n−1 =
0, n 6= 1,
and (
(1 + T α )/2, n = 1,
ψ0 = 0, ψ2n = 0, ψ2n−1 =
0, n 6= 1.
Using (3.15)–(3.17), we have

 (1+T α )−E1(1) (T ) , n = 1,
(2)
f0 = 0, f2n = 0, f2n−1 = 2E1 (T )
0, n 6= 1.
Substituting the series coefficient of f (x) in (3.1)–(3.1) we obtain
u0 = 0, u2n = 0,
 (1)
 E1 (t) + (1+T α )−E1(1) (T ) E (2) (t), n = 1,
2 (2) 1
u2n−1 = 2E1 (T )
0, n 6= 1.
Hence the solution of ISP-I is
 (1 + T α ) − E (1) (T ) 
1
f (x) = (2)
sin(2πx),
E1 (T )
(1)

(1) (1 + T α ) − E1 (T ) (2) 
u(x, t) = E1 (t) + (2)
E1 (t) sin(2πx).
E1 (T )
Example 5.2. Consider the ISP-II with given the data
2  tγ+1 tα+2 
ϕ(x) = 0, g(t) = + ,
3 Γ(γ) Γ(α + 1)
 Γ(γ + 2) Γ(α + 3) 
f (x, t) = 2 tγ−α + t x.
Γ(γ)Γ(γ − α + 2) Γ(3)Γ(α + 1)
By using the bi-orthogonal system, the coefficients of the series expansion are
ϕ0 = 0, ϕ2n = 0, ϕ2n−1 = 0,
and
Γ(γ + 2) Γ(α + 3)
f0 = tγ−α + t, f2n = 0, f2n−1 = 0.
Γ(γ)Γ(γ − α + 2) Γ(3)Γ(α + 1)
The solution is  tγ+1 tα+2 
u(x, t) = 2 + x,
Γ(γ) Γ(α + 1)
which satisfies the initial condition (1.2) and the over-determination condition (1.7).
By using the value of u(x, t) in (4.9), we obtained the source term as a(t) = t.
EJDE-2016/293 IDENTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE TERM 19

Hence {u(x, t), a(t)} forms the solution set for the ISP-II.

Acknowledgments. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the re-
viewers for their insightful comments which ultimately improve the quality of the
paper. S. A. Malik was partially supported by COMSATS and ISESCO.

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Sara Aziz
Department of Mathematics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Park
Road, Chak Shahzad Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail address: sara aziz pk@yahoo.com

Salman A. Malik
Department of Mathematics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Park
Road, Chak Shahzad Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail address: salman amin@comsats.edu.pk, salman.amin.malik@gmail.com